After launching in Europe back in November, Samsung's Galaxy Note is nearly ready to make its State-side debut. It's seen some solid sales so far, despite its unusual size, falling somewhere in-between the biggest smartphones and smallest tablets. In preparation for its arrival in the US, we spotted the Note undergoing the knife in order to swap-out its physical home button for a lineup of capacitive elements, and then finally decked-out in the AT&T badging the Android will wear as it joins the carrier's lineup. That's all we'd heard about plans for the Note in the US, but could another ...

What's in that girl's hand? Sony Ericsson posted the above image to its Facebook page this morning, alongside the note that there's some "interesting news" coming out next week. With the annual Consumer Electronics Show now looming over the horizon, it's no surprise that plenty of smartphone manufacturers will be showcasing their new wares. Just what could Sony Ericsson be planning on showing-off? There's a good bit of unreleased SE smartphone hardware we've seen or heard about in one form or another. For a while now, there's been talk of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Nozomi, along with quite a ...

This is the LG Connect 4G for MetroPCS, a mid-range Android with four-inch WVGA NOVA display and dual-core processor. Supposedly it features a five-megapixel rear camera plus VGA front-facing webcam, along with 1GB of RAM and 4GB of built-in storage (expandable via microSD). As its name suggests, it's an LTE-capable handset, although as its MS840 model number hints, it's considered lower-end than Metro's version of the Optimus Black, the MS855 LG Esteem. What's most interesting about this phone actually has nothing to do with MetroPCS at all: apparently the same model will hit Verizon as ...

Well, another try is mostly considered no real effort at all. If we remember, LG announced a Smartphone back at CES 2011 that ran the Intel Atom Moorestown x86 Architecture. Android was fit to run the new processor, but the Smartphone was sadly ditched because of a weird "lack of marketability", though we're still not sure if this was on LG's or Intel's behalf. Now after we recently heard that Intel is planning to get serious about mobile, recent reports from the Korea Times mention that LG and Intel will give this whole idea a second try. We're still not sure what the phone will look ...

With AT&T and T-Mobile having already seen their Samsung Galaxy S II variants show up in special white editions. it was only a matter of time before the Epic 4G Touch on Sprint got the same treatment. What is somewhat surprising is that Epic, the first of the US variants to go on sale, will be the last one to get whited out: it doesn't look like we can expect this SKU until early next year, after what is likely to be a CES debut. Any guesses as to when we'll see the launch of Verizon's inevitable white Galaxy Nexus?

While reviewing the Samsung Galaxy Nexus we stumbled across an interesting addition under the Wireless & Networking settings: WiFi Direct. Not having seen that entry before, it warranted some digging. First of all, the Galaxy Nexus is not the first device to get WiFi direct. Reportedly the Galaxy S (GT-i9000) has this feature as well, though it hasn't been widely advertised since it was announced at CES in 2010. According to the Wi-Fi Alliance, Wi-Fi Direct "is a certification mark for devices supporting a game-changing new technology enabling Wi-Fi devices to connect directly, making it ...

LG may be sending out invitations for an event scheduled for next month, but Sprint isn't wasting any time getting the word out about its plans for some announcements of its own, further down the line. We're still a month-and-a-half away from CES 2012, but that's not stopping Sprint from sending out some save-the-dates. What might Sprint have to show-off at the CES? If we were guessing earlier this year, there could have been a chance that we might learn of plans for the first LTE-compatible smartphone to arrive on the network, but the most recent update we've heard to Sprint's network ...

Samsung revealed its 4G LTE Android smartphone at today's Verizon press conference, but as with the other hardware announcements, the Samsung executive presenting it didn't provide many details -- including its name. Simply referred to as Samsung's 4G LTE smartphone, this device which we've known as SCH-i520 features a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen, the same technology seen in AT&T's Samsung Infuse 4G (though not quite its 4.5-inch size). Also on board are an HD-capable eight-megapixel camera (probably the same 1080p shooter in the Infuse) as well as 1.3-megapixel front-facing cam for ...

Samsung's nameless 4G LTE Android handset on Verizon may end up being named the Samsung Verdict, based on evidence from trademark filings. While Samsung refused to even refer to the 4.3-inch device by its SCH-i520 model number when introducing it at Verizon's LTE news conference at CES yesterday, it turns out that Sammy filed for two other trademarks on the same day that it sought protection on the brand that would become its other new phone at this show, the upcoming Infuse 4G on AT&T. Those marks are "Indulge" and "Verdict;" however, with Indulge the rumored branding of an unannounced ...

We're pretty sure that Verizon is going to reveal the Samsung SCH-i520 among its first LTE smartphones tomorrow, but as is usually the case these days, this handset seems to have shown up a little early thanks to that leaky faucet of an etailer Offwire. Just days after tipping dozens of accessories for the upcoming Verizon iPhone 4, the company is back in the news with more cases for an unannounced device, this time giving us the first clear view of its face. We have to say that we're digging the physical buttons up front, as one of our main gripes with the Galaxy S models is their ...

With all eyes on the HTC Thunderbolt, Verizon's other two upcoming 4G LTE smartphones have fallen out of the spotlight somewhat, but it looks like Samsung's SCH-i510 "Stealth V" may be inching closer to its own release -- at least if the appearance of accessories at Walmart is any clue (and it usually is). Plus, we just saw i510 out in the wild courtesy of TechnoBuffalo, and it seems to be increasing the amount of test shots it uploads to Picasa, both of which are fairly good indicators of an impending rollout. Packing a single-core, gigahertz-class processor, 4.3-inch SuperAMOLED Plus ...

If you've got your eye on a phone, we know that you simply can't absorb enough information about it while impatiently waiting for the release date. With that in mind, potential HTC Inspire 4G owners will be pleased to learn that Radio Shack has already posted its device simulator for this US version of the Desire HD, allowing you to explore the handset and its functionality from the comfort of your home. Besides a rundown of the features, you also get quite a few tutorials on configuring and troubleshooting the phone -- meaning that you should be all ready to go by the time February 13th ...

Dear HTC, It's time for an intervention. It wasn't so long ago that you made the best smartphones on the market -- hands down. In fact, it feels like just yesterday that your competitors were scrambling to keep up with your innovative devices, whose components, form factors, and software habitually pushed the envelope and gave power users a refreshing alternative to the restrictive iPhone ecosystem. From 2005's Apache through the release of the HD2 in late 2009 (or EVO 4G in early 2010), you were at the top of your game. Things move quickly in this industry, however, and a little over ...

At CES 2011, Corning was showing off their Gorilla Glass product, which is used on many mobile devices you may know, like the entire Samsung Galaxy S and Tab line, most Motorola Android phones, all Dell mobile devices, the LG Optimus 7, and others. Gorilla Glass is not only very strong when it comes to impacts that would normally crack your display (like a fall), but it's also incredibly scratch resistant. In this video, we take a razor-sharp kitchen knife to a Samsung Captivate, and find it impossible to scratch the screen, even with a heavy amount of pressure. Impressive.

We wanted to wrap up our CES coverage (which we hope you've enjoyed) by linking you to all of our hands on coverage and hot stories from CES. We also wanted to show you a tour of Microsoft's mobile booth, shown below. But first, some general thoughts about the show. This year, the show was all about Android. We ushered in the era of dual-core Androids with LG and Motorola, we celebrated the 4G revolution with LG, Motorola, and Samsung, and we even got a glimpse at how Android works when screen resolution is bumped beyond the all-too-common WVGA, thanks to Motorola. Oh, and a little thing ...

Earlier we were poking fun at HTC's marketing message for the 4G-capable Verizon Thunderbolt because we felt that given the specs of the device, it's not our idea of our dream phone, or the "one after that." Nevertheless, the Thunderbolt is a solid device that isn't unlike the Desire HD or especially the EVO 4G. The device feels fast (despite having a single core processor, unlike the dualies coming from Motorola and LG), has great built quality, and has a stunning 4.3" LCD display. On the Thunderbolt you're getting the latest and greatest version of HTC Sense, complete with cloud ...

In this video we show off Huawei's flagship Android 2.2 phones, the Ideos X5 and the U9000. While both devices have a solid level of build quality, and while they feel quite fast thanks to their vanilla installations of Froyo, we can't help but feel a bit "meh" over these products at a time when Motorola, LG, and Samsung are showing us their next-generation 4G devices with Tegra 2 chips, higher resolutions screens, and other cool functions. That said, these two devices for Huawei, if priced right, could be a good entry-mid level Android phone for those that don't need all the bells and ...

The Motorola Droid Bionic is similar in a lot of ways to the Atrix 4G except that it has less RAM (512MB versus 1GB) and it is going to Verizon and not AT&T. Because it lacks the full 1GB of RAM, you can't use that fancy dock that works with the Atrix. The Bionic is sporting the Tegra 2 dual core CPU, which should make the device feel really fast, but it surprisingly doesn't make any noticeable improvement as you can see in this video. We're thinking that the software on the Bionic might be a bit Alpha, and that when this thing ships, it ought to be a bit faster. Or, perhaps we'd have to ...

With the occasion of the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show, Microsoft has revealed a new Windows Phone 7 add-in for Windows Home Server Code Name "Vail" that will soon be available for the platform. The application, when available, will allow its Windows Phone 7 users to set up and connect to the Windows Home Server right from their devices. After the account setup, three screens will be available: Alerts (in case of Administrator accounts), Media and Account. The Alerts screen will feature those details the Dashboard would present you with on your Windows Home Server. The Media screen ...

I've been an AT&T customer since I got my first smartphone back in 2005. Over the years I've had nothing but a fantastic experience with them living in a suburb of Philadelphia. I've experience perhaps two dropped calls in about five years, and data speeds for the most part have been high and very reliable. When I hear people say that AT&T has poor reliability, I don't really understand what they mean because even when I travel to New York or San Francisco, areas notorious for having poor AT&T service, my phone works just fine. Then, I got to Las Vegas for CES 2011. I landed and ...

Trying to prove that devices like Folio from Palm and Redfly from Celio were the right idea at the wrong time, Motorola is rolling out a dock and netbook-like device for the Motorola Atrix 4G that will be sold on Verizon's LTE 4G network in Q1. We've never seen any device do what the Atrix can, and we attribute that to its Tegra 2 dual-core CPU and plentiful 1GB of RAM. Not only can you access the phone through the dock or netbook device, effectively giving you a huge screen for your phone, but you can launch Firefox and do some serious web browsing, use a file browser, and more. It's a ...

We've seen Android 3.0 Honeycomb on tablets, but we haven't heard much about how it'll work on smartphones. Engadget filmed an interview with Matias Duarte, head of interface and design for Android, and from the interview we've learned a bit about how Honeycomb is going to work on smartphones. The video is below, but here's a summary in case you don't want to view the 25 minute interview: - Buttonless phones: Matias confirmed that Honeycomb for smartphones, like the tablet version, will provide a system for virtual button controls so that an OEM doesn't need to include the typical Android ...

We know that CDMA-compatible Windows Phone 7 smartphones are being manufactured, but so far there hasn't been much indication as to just when carriers will start selling those models. It still leaves us with a big release window, but now we have some confirmation straight from Redmond that both Sprint and Verizon will have WP7 phones by June 30. This claim comes from Microsoft Mobile Communications director Aaron Woodman. Clarifying statements made by Steve Ballmer during the Microsoft CES event, Woodman narrowed down when we could expect to see these CDMA WP7 devices, like the HTC 7 Pro. ...

Sling Media and Verizon have announced a partnership that will give owners of certain LTE-capable smartphones the ability to sign up for a hardware and software bundle directly through the V CAST App Store -- and in a first for Sling, the service will actually cost a monthly fee. Unfortunately, the monthly charge was not revealed, nor were there any details given on hardware rental fees (should they exist), so it's difficult to tell how good of a deal this is. It seems like the longer you intend to keep the service for, the better off you are buying your Slingbox and Slingplayer Mobile app ...

It seems to be all the rage these days for smartphone OEMs to come up with glamorous names for new screens after Apple started the trend with the Retina display on the iPhone 4. The big story on the LG Optimus Black is its screen, which is capable of producing more screen brightness than any other smartphone display (says LG). Dubbed the Nova Display, we did indeed find the quality of the Black's screen to be fantastic, perhaps on par with Samsung's Super AMOLED. LG is also claiming that the Black is the thinnest Android phone. Alas, they must not have been to Sony Ericsson's booth to see ...